|
Schumacher clinches F1 season title
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-08-30 14:35
Michael Schumacher even sets records by finishing second. He was runner-up to
Kimi Raikkonen in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, only the second time in 14
races this season Schumacher did not win. But the German scored enough points to
clinch an unprecedented seventh Formula One drivers' title.
The long-anticipated outcome to the most lopsided season in F1 history came
at the hilly Spa circuit, where Schumacher debuted in Formula One 13 years ago,
and won his first race a year later. He has a record 82 victories.
Michael Schumacher
of Germany sprays champagne to celebrate his seventh world title and his
second place in the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix at the
Spa-Francorchamps race circuit August 29, 2004. Schumacher claimed a
seventh world championship despite only finishing second behind Kimi
Raikkonen at an incident-filled Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. Schumacher's
Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello finished in third place.
[Reuters] |
A win at Spa would have been his seventh, which would have gone nicely with
his seventh series title, and Ferrari's 700th race in Formula One.
Instead, he finished 3.1 seconds behind Raikkonen in a race scattered with
accidents and made close as the safety car came out three times. Schumacher's
Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello was third.
"I would have rather taken the championship with a victory," Schumacher said.
"But today we simply weren't strong enough in the right moments. We have won so
many races this year, it was clear at some stage somebody else would win. And
today it happened."
Raikkonen's winning time over the 4.3-mile circuit was 1 hour, 32 minutes,
35.274 seconds, with an average speed of 123.589 mph.
The only other race Schumacher did not win this season was in Monaco in May.
Through 14 races, he has 128 points and Barrichello 88. Four races remain —
Italy, China, Japan and Brazil. Though Barrichello has a mathematical chance to
tie the German on points, Schumacher owns the title because he has won more
races than Barrichello.
Schumacher was subdued after the race, with his series title conceded to him
months ago.
"It's not anywhere like what I've felt the sixth or fifth time," he said.
In a predictable season with Schumacher in command, Sunday's race seemed to
have more action than the rest combined.
There were six different leaders, and four cars were out after just 30
seconds when Jaguar's Mark Webber and BAR's Takuma Sato collided. Caught in a
chain reaction, Minardi's Gianmaria Bruni and Jordan's Giorgio Pantano were also
gone.
The four were uninjured, but the early mayhem did minor damage to the cars of
Barrichello, BAR's Jenson Button, Sauber's Felipe Massa, Jordan's Nick Heidfeld
and Toyota's Oliver Panis.
Starting next to pole-sitter Jarno Trulli of Renault on a dry, sunny day,
Schumacher just escaped the early crashes. But he slipped quickly to fourth
place as Trulli, Renault teammate Fernando Alonso and McLaren's David Coulthard
were ahead of him.
After five laps, he was back in sixth. But he moved up slowly as others went
out. As rivals pitted, Schumacher moved briefly into first place after 15 of 44
laps. He pitted after 16 and never regained the lead with Raikkonen ahead when
he rejoined.
Schumacher's title completes a Ferrari season sweep after the Fiat-owned team
claimed its sixth straight constructors crown two weeks ago in Hungary.
This was Raikkonen's second career win and the Finn's first since Malaysia in
2003. It was also McLaren's first victory since.
"It's great for the team and me," said Raikkonen, who finished two points
behind Schumacher in the 2003 standings. "We've had a difficult season. Finally
we got what we deserved. I hope we can keep it up for the rest of the season and
then challenge for next year."
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
Today's
Top News |
|
|
|
Top Sports
News |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
